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News Release from: UCIMU
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 12 July 2007
Italian machine tool producers break
records
According to UCIMU, the Italian machine tool and poduction equipment industry output during 2006 had increased by 15.9%, compared with 2005, reaching EUR 4,992 million.
Benefitting from an index of orders, which had grown by 15.7%, on a yearly base, the Italian machine tool and manufacturing equipment industry had reached the record value of EUR 4,992 million - a 15.9% increase against that of 2005 The results put Italy's rank as fourth in world machine tool production and third as an exporter
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 30 Mar 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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The results were announced during the annual general meeting of UCIMU-Sistemi per Produrre (UCIMU) by its president Alberto Tacchella.
Attending the meeting was Corrado Passera, managing director and chief executive officer of Intesa Sanpaolo.
Some notable facts include the following.
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* Exports - Italian machine tool exports had increased by 17.7%, at EUR 2,787 million.
* Home market - home market deliveries had also grown by EUR 2,205 million (+13.6%).
* Home market consumption - overall domestic machine tool consumption had risen, in 2006, to EUR 3,537 million (+13.7%).
* Export:production ratio - the export:production ratio had grown from 55% in 2005 to 55.8%.
* Balance of trade - compared with 2005, balance of trade has further improved, totalling EUR 1,455 million (+21.4%).
* Foreign market performance - the leading foreign markets for the Italian production are now Germany, (11.6% of the total), China (9.6%), USA (8.1%), Spain (7.6%) and France (6.8%).
* Leading Italian export markets - there has been a rise in the sales to Germany (EUR 309 million, +18.1%), Spain (EUR 202 million, +11.8%) and UK (EUR 74.5 million, +28.2%).
* Downturn - sales to France have decreased (EUR 181 million, -10%).
* Emerging markets - good results were recorded by the sales to Poland (+82.8%), Russia (+48.2%), India (+14.8%), Czech Republic (+65%) and Romania (+35.6%).
On the contrary, the deliveries were down to Brazil (-14.6%) and to Mexico (-26.9%).
The analysis of the export figures shows that the sales to Euro area countries amounted to 61.5% of the exported total.
An analysis of the sector 'Made by Italians' exports in the last 15 years points out that: 'beside the deep change of the world market, which saw a marked transfer of production and consumption to the Asian countries, the Italian industry of the sector has increased its own presence in the European countries (not only EU) from 18% to 24%, reducing the already very small share on the Asian market, decreased from 3.2% to 2.4%'.
From the comparison with the two peaks of the economic cycle 1992-94 and 2004-2006, Italian sales have experienced a 98% rise - more dynamic than the trend of world consumption, which registered a 77% increase.
Consequently, the share of Italian sales on the world consumption has grown from 9.1% to 10.2%.
Tacchella commented: "Such figures are very satisfactory, as they testify that the Italian supply of the sector is highly regarded.
They are a tangible evidence that the Italian industry did not loose competitiveness, but the economic system of our country did.
He said: "This is also attested by another datum.
Beside the consumption increase in the Asian countries, Italian manufacturers have expanded their shares in the Italian, European and American markets, losing ground in Asia.
Tacchella pointed out: "All this proves that Italian manufacturers preferred to exploit the advantage positions they had acquired, trying to increase their shares in those markets, where they were already stronger: first of all in Europe.
This is a traditional market and thus, for several aspects, easier to control, but surely more demanding and selective than others, representing the high-range market.
He continued: "On the other hand, the penetration into the emerging markets by the Italian manufacturers is still very limited compared to the offered potential.
In order to penetrate these new markets, the entrepreneurs need a structured system that can support them, a system which should include the role of financing institutions.
Addressing the Italian government, Tacchella said: "We ask them to give us attention, consultancy support and flexibility in the evaluation of the loan granting.
The 'closeness' of a credit institution to the enterprise may be useful for financing internationalization projects, as well as for investments in innovation.
With regard to the first theme, it is essential for the banks to go on towards internationalization, a process that allows the enterprises to be accompanied in the direct penetration of the new markets".
Innovation needs a structure - Tacchella concluded: "On the matter of innovation, a real, strategic lever to maintain and extend the qualitative gap enjoyed by the sector made in Italy in comparison with the production offered by competitors, it is necessary to plan structured actions that, besides implying a continuous co-operation between our enterprises and the research institutes, should also consider the role of credit institutions.
Their intervention is unavoidable, as it enables the enterprises of the sector to sustain the development of projects for technological innovation and to equip themselves with inside structures specifically allocated for the activity of R and D, which would be otherwise impracticable, being their costs too high for small-sized manufacturing companies.".
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